The Crimson Warriors
by Knife Hand
Summary: an AU Eva fic with elements of Akira. On the streets of Tokyo 3, where fear is a way of life and death is a release, Shinji and the gang fight for justice.
1. Default Chapter

This is an Alternate Universe story based using Evangelion characters although it contains elements of Akira other programs. None of which I own so don't sue (got no money anyway). The characters may seem OOC from the series, however they are in a completely different environment. If you do not like this than please stop reading NOW. You have been warned so do not send Flames. Only constructive criticism is appreciated. For those who have not left, Enjoy.  
  
The Crimson Warriors  
  
At the end of the Twentieth Century humanity tried to destroy itself. The great fear that had loomed over society since 1945 was finally released upon an unsuspecting world. A great war began between the superpowers and finally nuclear weapons were employed. Most of the population of  
  
Europe and the Americas were wiped out and when the dust settled, Japan became the new hub of civilization. The cities of this island nation became vast metropolises stretching miles in both width and height. While the police and the military successfully patrolled the upper regions of the cities, the lower depths were controlled by biker gangs and hoodlums. The streets and roadways that interlaced the lower reaches of these metropolises were the site of almost constant gang warfare. While the majority of the gang wars were over turf, there were some gangs who tried to stop the senseless violence, especially against the defenseless inhabitants of the slum communities that resided in the areas where the police and authorities feared to tread. One such gang, The Crimson Warriors, was lead by Shinji Ikari. Shinji had spent his eighteen years in the slums of the lower city of Tokyo 3, his hair was a soft, light brown and his eyes were a deep blue, but they were the eyes of one  
who had seen too much violence. He had never known who his parents were; his only loyalty was to the gang, who he had known all his life, and their mission to protect. His fellow warriors included Asuka Langley Sohryu, a fiery redhead with light blue eyes; she had a temper like a bear with a sore tooth and was a fierce fighter. There was Touji and Hikari Suzuhara, the young married couple both had brown hair and eyes, Touji taller than his wife by a good foot. They were utterly devoted to each other and to the gang. Another core member was Rei Ayanami. With her ice blue hair and ruby red eyes, she was utterly dedicated to the gang's mission and to Shinji, willing to die for either. The final core member of the group was Kensuke Aida, the brilliant hacker and mechanic, with unruly brown hair and glasses, he rarely accompanied the gang into battle, his responsibility was to keep the gang informed of what was going on in the city and to keep the bikes running. While these  
members were the core of The Crimson Warriors, there were about seventy other members that could be called out when a gang war erupted. The Crimson Warriors were occasionally helped by a mysterious man with a ponytail and eternally unshaved, known only as Kaji. The Crimson Warriors worked under a belief of the nature of evil, spoken once by Shinji.  
  
"People often wonder when the war against evil will be won. That war can not be won, for without evil there can be no good, there will only be existence. Someone once asked, `why do you fight then?' The response is that we do not fight to win; we fight to keep evil at bay, to maintain the order between good and evil, light and shadow. The world is a combination of good and evil and to keep the balance we must fight the spread of evil and to protect the good that can not protect itself."  
  
Far above, unbeknown to Shinji, one of the parents that he had never known worked under a similar philosophy, but did not always act a selflessly as his forgotten son. Gendo Ikari, semi-corrupt Chief of Police and self proclaimed heartless bastard, tried to keep order to the upper city, above the streets of the lower city, where travel was by flying vehicles, a much easier task than that taken on by the son he did not know still lived. Shinji had been lost when his mother, a doctor, had taken him into the lower city on a call. She had been killed and he had never been seen in the upper city again. While the upper city did not associate with the lower city, news did travel. The police had heard about the "Justice Gangs" as they were called in the upper city. The most prevalent of these gangs were The Crimson Warriors.  
  
A buzzer sounded on Gendo's desk, he absently pushed the button.  
  
"What?" he said  
  
"The Detective is here, sir." the secretary said through the intercom.  
  
"Send her in."  
The door opened to the overly spacious office and Detective Misato Katsuragi entered and stood in front of her superior's desk. Gendo smiled behind his hands, as usual, covering his lower face, and his eyes semi-hidden behind tinted glasses.  
  
"Detective, are you familiar with The Crimson Warriors?"  
  
"Yes, sir." she replied.  
  
"Very well, here are your orders..."  
  
Shinji sat on a stool in The Crimson Warrior's headquarters. He slowly and delicately ran the honing stone along the blade of his Katana. He could hear Kensuke typing slowly on his computer in the corner and Asuka working out in the weights room. Rei was in her room, meditating, while Touji and Hikari were in their bedroom, probably making out. Just a typical day. Putting his sword back into its scabbard, Shinji walked into the weights room to start his dally workout. Asuka was in her usual exercise clothing, a red tank-top and shorts, doing pull-ups on the overhead bar. Shinji changed into his own workout clothes and began to exercise. Shinji and Asuka were both in top physical condition. Asuka was slender; her muscles were strong and flexible. At first glance she was stunningly beautiful, almost delicate. At second glance the beauty was still there, but it was a slightly more rugged beauty, radiating strength and confidence. Shinji, however, had known her all his life and  
was able to see the venerability in her. Shinji's body was hard and muscular, like it was carved from wood. He is what would be called ruggedly handsome. Their personalities were similar, both being strong willed, and were just as tough in their own ways. Shinji would bend if the right kind of pressure was applied, but he would never break, and would only bend while the pressure was being applies. Asuka, however, would never bend, no matter what pressure was applied. Unfortunately, if enough pressure was applied, Asuka would break. Asuka turned to leave the weights room and Shinji noticed the scar. He had, of course, seen it before. Most of The Crimson Warriors had scars. It started at her left shoulder and moved down her back in a long arch ending just above her left hip. After two years, it still made him wince, he had been able to save her life but she would always have that scar, and a sliced kidney. Shinji continued with his workout until Rei entered to get his  
attention.  
  
"Shinji."  
  
Dropping down from the pull-up bar he looked across at Rei.  
  
"Visitor." She said and then left when Shinji nodded.  
  
He quickly washed up and changed into his regular clothing. In his black t-shirt, black slacks, black boots and his black jacket (with "The Crimson Warriors" on the back in blood red), he went to meet the visitor, clenching and unclenching his left hand to work the stiffness out of an old wound I his wrist. When he entered the common room the gang was mostly there. Hikari was in the kitchen making lunch, and being distracted by Touji, Kensuke was in the garage working on Asuka's bike, Asuka was cleaning one of her pistols at a side table, while Rei was talking with the visitor on the couch. The visitor was not what Shinji expected. In her mid-thirties, with deep purple hair and brown eyes, she had a well formed body and was obviously intelligent (discussing philosophy with Rei). Shinji walked over to meet her, sitting down on the matching single chair.  
  
"Hi, I'm Shinji, the leader. What can we do for you, Miss...?"  
  
"Katsuragi. Detective Misato Katsuragi. Tokyo 3 police department."  
  
"So, what brings a copper down into the slums?" Shinji asked as he leaned back in his chair.  
  
"I have been sent here to enlist your help. One gang has started raiding the upper reaches of the city; we are unable to locate them because they reside down here. I have been ordered to attempt to recruit The Crimson Warriors to alleviate the problem and to assist and accompany you till the gang, known as The Angels, have been "dealt with", my superiors exact words." Misato looked around the room then added, "Is there only the eight of you?"  
  
"The eight of us live here, but there are others." Rei said.  
  
"We accept, on the condition that you follow our orders, and if you want to tag along, do it our way." Shinji said.  
  
Misato considered it for a second the nodded. Shinji stood up and began issuing orders.  
  
"Hikari, set up the spare bedroom. Touji, get Hans and Martin, we'll need them to retrain the Detective. Kensuke, bring out the P-45 (the P-45 motorbike began production in 2012) from storage and get it ready to ride. Asuka, get in touch with your contacts, find out all you can about a gang called The Angels, and break out your weapons stores. Rei, hold down the fort and keep the Detective company. I'll be back as soon as I can."  
  
Shinji grabbed his Katana, jumped on his bike and rode out into the constant war zone that is lower Tokyo 3.  
  
Shinji was angry. No, he was beyond angry, he was pissed. Every time the Detective had mentioned her superior he had gotten angrier, for no apparent reason. Twisting the throttle, he made his bike go faster, almost a suicidal speed, as if to outrun his anger. He eventually slowed down, in a distant part of the lower city. His anger was so great that he wanted to kill someone. When he was younger, Shinji had felt revulsion at the thought of killing, but he had gotten over it. No one could survive in the slums unless they were willing and able to kill at a moments notice. Ahead he saw four gang members from a gang that was on The Crimson Warriors hit list, The Knight Pistols. Shinji smiled slightly and drew his Katana. Roaring past The Knight Pistols, Shinji cleanly decapitated two of them, the pulled his bike around in a long skid. Jumping off the bike, Shinji held up his Katana before of him and walked slowly towards The Knight Pistols, standing about ten feet in front of  
him. The closest gangster raised a pistol, aimed at Shinji's head and fired. The first shot Shinji deflected with the sword, so it whizzed harmlessly past him. The second shot hit the sword at a weird angle and ended buried in Shinji's right shoulder, lodged just below his collar bone. There was no third shot as Shinji, having switched the sword to his left hand, stepped in and sliced the gun-hand clean off at the wrist, following through with a slice along the mans stomach then spinning around to decapitate him. The last Knight Pistol saw this and decided to run. After switching his sword back to his right hand, Shinji drew his knife and threw it at the running man. The man fell forward because his legs no longer followed his instructions, due to a knife embedded in his lower spine.  
  
"A Crimson Warrior, I should have known. A least you guys make it quick." The man said as Shinji knelt in front of him.  
  
Shinji nodded to the last statement, and then asked a question.  
  
"We're looking for a new gang, called the Angels. Heard anything?"  
  
The man looked into Shinji's eyes and saw fierce determination.  
  
"Will you make it a clean kill?" the man asked.  
  
Shinji just nodded again.  
  
"Ok. I heard something about a new gang over in sector 247, but I don't know their name."  
  
"Thank you." Shinji said.  
  
The man pushed off the ground, looking at Shinji. Shinji nodded and the man looked at the ground as Shinji cleanly severed his neck between the third and fourth vertebrae. Shinji searched the bodies, took about five thousand yen, the pistol (and two spare ammo clips) and a small, carved, high-quality crossbow. The rest of the stuff was junk, so he left it and started to ride back to the headquarters, feeling the slight wave of revulsion he always felt, after a battle, when the adrenalin wears off. When he got back, he put the money on the table in the living room.  
  
"Asuka." He called.  
  
She stuck her head out of her room and he threw her the pistol and the two spare clips, which she deftly caught.  
  
"Cool." she said, then retreated into her room.  
  
He sat down on the couch next to Rei, with her on his left side.  
  
"Here, I though that you would like this." he said as he handed her the crossbow and letting his finger brush against her hand.  
  
She took the crossbow gently and studied it for a moment, holding it almost lovingly.  
  
"Thank you." she said and laid her head on his shoulder.  
  
"That feels nice Rei." Shinji said after a second, smiling down at her. "But can we get the bullet out of my other shoulder first."  
  
It was about two in the morning and Shinji could not sleep. His shoulder was sore and he had a lot to think about, so he lay on his bed with his eyes closed. That was why he could hear the door softly slide open. He opened one eye and, without turning on the light, recognized the figure silhouetted in the doorway.  
  
"Not tonight, Asuka. I'm not in the mood." he said.  
  
Hearing the door close and Asuka's string of quiet curses, he closed his eye and went back to thinking, mostly about the past. About an hour later his door quietly opened again and again he recognized the silhouetted figure, but this time it was Rei. She slowly crossed the room, and dropped down next to Shinji. After giving him a tender kiss on the cheek, she whispered in his ear.  
  
"The nightmare."  
  
Shinji nodded absently as Rei laid her head on his left shoulder and fell asleep. Shinji's mind quickly quieted and he also went to sleep, with his arm around Rei's waist.  
  
To be continued....  
  
What does everyone think? R&R.  
  
*Author's Note: Before people start to comment over Rei being so talkative, remember that she is at home and has lived with others in a social context for years. Also that last exchange between Shinji and Rei will be explained in the next chapter. :) Stick around.* 


	2. 

This is an Alternate Universe story based using Evangelion characters although it contains elements of Akira other programs. None of which I own so don't sue (got no money anyway). The characters may seem OOC from the series, however they are in a completely different environment. If you do not like this than please stop reading NOW. You have been warned so do not send Flames. Only constructive criticism is appreciated. For those who have not left, Enjoy.  
  
  
  
The Crimson Warriors (Continued)  
  
  
  
Shinji slowly woke up, feeling content, and slightly numb in his left arm. He smiled to himself before he opened his eyes, knowing what he would see. He slowly pulled his arm out from under Rei. After his arm was free, Rei rolled to face him, grabbed hold of a fistful of sheets, which she hugged to herself, and cutely stuck her thumb into her mouth. Shinji laughed almost silently, it had been years since he had seen her do that, the slowly leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Morning Rei." he whispered.  
  
"Morning." she mumbled back, clutching the sheet tighter.  
  
Shinji got of the bed quietly, sat in a chair in the corner of the room and just watched Rei sleep. He knew that this serene scene would not last; soon the day would start and there would be worries, searching and, if they were unlucky, death. But for now her could just sit and watch her sleep. After about twenty minutes he heard the familiar routine that began each day. Hikari would get up, with protests from Touji, to make everyone breakfast while her husband reluctantly used the bathroom. As soon as the smell of cooking permeated the rooms, Kensuke would raise and bring his laptop, or motorbike parts, to the table to eat (where he promptly gets yelled at by Hikari). Asuka's exit from her room was always loud and with demands of breakfast "Now!", which Hikari usually ignored. The redhead's noisy antics woke the sleeping princess on Shinji's bed. Rei smiled and rose to walk out of the room.  
  
"Tomorrow's the day." Shinji said, slightly sadly.  
  
Rei nodded and Shinji saw the pain in her eyes. She quickly lowered her head and walked back to her room. Shinji felt the same pain as Rei did, but for now he had to be strong. He exited his room for breakfast.  
  
"Morning everyone." he said when he reached the dining room.  
  
Asuka, Kensuke and Misato were at the table, while Touji and Hikari were hugging in the kitchen. Shinji moved to the fridge.  
  
"Any one want a beer?" he asked.  
  
Everyone except Misato declined.  
  
"Want VB or XXXX?" Shinji asked her.  
  
(Australia being the only country left with the industry and the available agricultural land to produce beer)  
  
"XXXX" Misato replied.  
  
Throwing the Detective a can of XXXX and taking a stubby of VB for himself, Shinji sat down at the table for breakfast. Rei came out of her room, sat down and began eating her salad.  
  
"Briefing in the conference room at ten." Shinji said taking a long slug from his beer.  
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
  
  
Shinji took another swig of his beer and leaned on the balcony railing. There was not much to look at, in the rare gaps between the towering buildings there were roadway or the perpetual mist. The sliding door that leads back inside whisked open, then a second later it closed. He knew that it was Asuka who had just joined him. The occasional casual discussions on the balcony were the only time they had alone, except her late night visits which never contained much talk.  
  
"The briefing starts in an hour." Asuka said.  
  
They were both well aware of the fact; it was just Asuka's way of announcing her presence.  
  
"Thanks. Sorry about last night, it's just my birthday is tomorrow." Shinji said with a hint of pain in his voice.  
  
Asuka realised that she had forgotten about that and that he must be feeling the same gravity he feels every year near that day.  
  
"Sorry. I totally forgot. I know it is painful for both you and Rei." she said with genuine sympathy.  
  
Asuka leaned on the railing next to Shinji and there was an uncomfortable silence for a minute.  
  
"So, how were you stupid enough to get shot yesterday?" Asuka said playfully, breaking the silence.  
  
"Met up with some Knight Pistols. The bullet deflected weirdly off my blade. The last one told me about a new gang over in Sector 247, could be The Angels. You hear any thing from your contacts?"  
  
Asuka nodded.  
  
"Heard the same." she replied.  
  
They stayed there for almost an hour, leaning against the railing with their hand touching. Finally Asuka turned to go back inside but was stopped by Shinji's voice as her hand reached for the door handle.  
  
"What would do if you weren't here? If the world was not a complete mess and you could do anything, anywhere. What would you do?"  
  
"What would you do?" Asuka asked him in return.  
  
"I would live somewhere quiet with you and Rei." he responded with a distant look in his eyes, almost as if he could see that place.  
  
"I," Asuka replied with conviction, "I would do what I do here. Love and protect you. Always, even if you don't love me."  
  
The last sentence was whispered quietly and sadly. She then opened the door a disappeared inside, leaving Shinji out on the balcony. After a few minutes he sighed and left the balcony for the conference room.  
  
  
  
Misato was confused. Today everyone would be at the base, her training and the others searching for information on The Angels and fixing their equipment. Tomorrow, however, had her confused. She would be training away from the base, Kensuke was to 'hold down the fort' and everyone else, except Shinji and Rei, would scout Sector 247. Shinji and Rei were to remain behind for an undisclosed reason, which everyone seemed sad or sympathetic about. During a break session Misato asked Asuka about the omission.  
  
"Asuka, what will Shinji and Rei be doing tomorrow?"  
  
"Well… It is their birthday." Asuka said, giving Misato a glare when she opened her mouth. "It is not actually their birthday. It is the day Shinji was found by Rei's parents. Since that day, Shinji has only acknowledged that one day as his birthday. (Pause) Look, everyone here had a reason for joining. For Hikari it was her sisters, Touji had his little sister. Kensuke had his father and I had my mother. For some of us the reason changed. Touji and Hikari do it for each other; I have a new reason too. All of us lost something, but Shinji and Rei had the best, or worst, depending on your view, reason for being here, which has not really changed. See, Shinji and Rei grew up together. They are closer than most siblings, closer than many married couples. On the day they celebrated Shinji's tenth birthday party a gang, The Black Scorpions, broke into their house."  
  
Asuka sat down on a bench, her legs barely able to support her. She looked into Misato's eyes to portray the gravity of her words.  
  
"Down here, a clean death or kill is a matter of honor. Torture is acceptable, but rarely done, but unless in battle, leaving someone to die of their injuries is not done, it is dishonorable. The Black Scorpions tortured Rei's parents, witnessed by Shinji and Rei who were hiding. No questions were asked and the left them to die. Rei's mother of internal bleeding and Rei's father to drown in his own blood. The word was spread about this and The Black Scorpions were wiped out in under a week, every gang went gunning for them."  
  
Asuka went off to help Kensuke tune her bike. Misato looked over at Shinji and Rei working on one of the computers, she had a sad look in her eyes.  
  
  
  
As the sun set far above, Shinji and The Crimson Warriors were training. Misato and Rei had taken a break from crossbow practice and were watching the sparing. Using practice swords, Shinji was sparing left handed against Touji, Hikari and Asuka. Shinji had just blocked Asuka's blow and kicked her away from the fight for a moment, then he turned to face Hikari. Shinji blocked her blow with his blade, tripped her up with a sweep kick and enacted what would have been a killing blow. Hikari stayed on the ground because she was 'dead' and watched the rest of the fight. Touji had gotten behind Shinji and tried to place a blow on Shinji's head, which was blocked by Shinji's sword, positioned over his head. Shinji then brought the sword down in an arc, quickly reversing the blade and hitting Touji just below the small of his ribs (in the solar plexus), which made him collapse (and would have killed him if he was hit harder or with a real sword). Asuka had just arrived back at the sparing, facing off with Shinji, they both moved the sparing match away from the 'dead bodies' allowing Hikari to help Touji to his feet and watch the rest of the match. Shinji and Asuka were fairly evenly matched; Shinji was stronger and more skilled while Asuka was slightly faster and more aggressive. The clack of the wooden practice swords reverberated constantly through the practice room, occasionally interspersed with the dull thud of a blade connecting with flesh, leaving a red welt.  
  
"Shinji is usually better than this," Rei whispered to Misato. "His injured hand must be hampering him."  
  
After ten minutes both Shinji and Asuka had a few welts covering their bodies. Shinji had a few on his upper right arm and under his ribs while Asuka had welts on the upper parts of both arms, one just above her right hip and a few under her ribs, covered by her tank top. The sparing match finally ended when Shinji, capitalizing on a mistake, hit Asuka across the wrists, making her drop her sword and mimed a killing blow. Shinji whipped the sweat off his body with a towel and put his shirt back on. Shinji went and checked on Touji, hoping he was not too hurt, before telling everyone to get to bed. As the all moved off to their room for the night, Misato understood why The Crimson Warriors were the best, they had an amazing leader, and she was startled at Rei's comment. If Shinji was that good with an injured arm, how good was he uninjured?  
  
  
  
To Be Continued…  
  
  
  
R&R. Flames not appreciated. Look out for the next chapter. 


End file.
